Not A Bad Thing
by theasacecheezit
Summary: Someone is after Judy. Her apartment burns down, and she has to stay at Nick's place for awhile. I know others have done Judy moving in with Nick stories, but I hope mine proves original
1. Chapter 1

Judy stood, shivering and dumbfounded, staring at her flaming apartment building. It had been about a year since she moved to Zootopia, and this was the apartment she had gotten when she first came. Luckily, over time a few of her belongings had made their way to the ZPD office and her partner Nick's apartment, but most of her things were still lost. _Nick_ , she remembered suddenly, pulling out her phone from her pocket and dialing his number. He yawned into the phone. "Carrots? What are you doing up at this hour?"

"My apartment's on fire!" she replied frantically.

"What?" he demanded, voice full of concern. Then, there was a pause as Judy heard a _plop_ and the jingle of keys. "Ok, I'm on my way now."

Judy's landlady had called the ZPD and the Zootopia fire department. To Judy's surprise, Chief Bogo himself showed up on the scene. "Are you alright, Officer Hopps?" he asked in his gruff voice. She nodded shakily, nose twitching. "I'm fine, thanks."

A thought seemed to dawn on Bogo, and he asked, "Where will you stay tonight?"

At that moment, Nick's beaten-up car pulled up to the curb, his window down. "She's coming with me," he responded, addressing Bogo.

Judy blushed, her ears folding back a little. "I didn't—we didn't arrange—"

Bogo nodded at both of them. "Okay, looks like it's settled. Take care of her, Wilde," he said, then left them to discuss the accident with Judy's landlady.

Judy turned to Nick awkwardly and stammered, "You didn't have to—I didn't expect—"

He cut her off with an eye roll and a smirk, then opened the car door and helped her in. "Let's get you home," Nick said, glancing at the frightened bunny.

As she dozed off, she thought _, he called it home_.

Judy's eyes fluttered open as they pulled up to Nick's apartment. The clock read 1:39 AM.

"Here we are," Nick yawned, smiling at her.

The fox suddenly cursed under his breath as he unlocked the front door.

"What is it?" Judy asked.

"I still don't have anything in my spare bedroom," he groaned.

Judy sighed a little in relief; she'd been afraid something else bad had happened. "No, its fine," she replied quickly. "I can sleep on the couch."

Stepping into the apartment, Nick spun around, his palms up in a _stop_ gesture. "Whoa, hold up here. You're _not_ sleeping on the couch. I'll take the couch, and you can sleep in my room"

"Are you sure?" Judy mumbled sleepily, but she was too tired to really argue.

"Well just for tonight," he said slyly. "Tomorrow we'll get you a bed for the spare room."

"What? I won't be—"

"You didn't think you're leaving anytime soon, did you?" Nick interrupted with a smirk. Then, his smile turning softer, he said, "come on, let's get you settled."

When Judy crashed onto Nick's bed, she figured she'd be too shaken to sleep, despite her exhaustion. After a few minutes, however, she noticed that the blankets had Nick's scent on them. Strangely, she found this fact comforting, and she soon fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Nick sat restlessly on the couch, thoughts running through his mind. He wished he had been there to help Judy when the building went ablaze. He was concerned for his bunny, of course, but—wait, _his_ bunny? Why had he thought that? Suddenly, revelation sank down on him. "No, no, no, _no_!" he muttered.

He was _in love_ with a _bunny_.


	2. Chapter 2

Judy woke the next morning refreshed but still shaken. With a yawn, she slid to the floor and walked to the kitchenette.

She found Nick at the table with a small bowl of blueberries for himself and a plate of carrots for her. He grinned when he saw her. "Morning, Carrots. Sleep ok?'

Judy blushed a little, remembering how Nick's lingering scent in his bed had comforted her. "Yeah," she replied. "You?"

He shrugged. "Not really."

The bunny frowned. "Why?"

"I was worried."

"About?"

"You, of course."

Smiling a little, Judy thought, _that's sweet, but he's just being a fox_. It wasn't as if… _no_ , she reminded herself. _Don't be silly_.

With a little cough, Nick changed the subject. "You had some leggings here, but you don't have any shirts. If you want, I have some old ones that may be small enough for you."

Smirking, Judy asked, "Are they as hideous as the ones you wear now?"

"Hey!" the fox protested. "My style is _on point_."

Judy rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say."

As Nick got up to put the dishes away, he added, "by the way, I got Bogo to give us the day off so you can recover."

"And so I can start looking for a new apartment?" Judy prompted.

"About that…" Nick turned away from her in sudden shyness. Had his fur not already been red, she would've noticed his blush. In a voice as casual as he could muster, he said, "I was thinking you could stay here. Permanently."

Judy raised her eyebrows. "We'll see."

A few minutes later, Judy emerged dressed in leggings and a too-big blue shirt of Nick's with the sleeves rolled up several times, still reaching her wrists. She noticed that the shirt, like his bed, smelled of fox. It was a little distracting. She coughed to get Nick's attention. "Thanks for letting me borrow this," she said shyly. Judy was not one to often accept charity.

Nick looked up and gulped, thinking, _my god, she's adorable_. Then, slapping himself mentally, he chided himself, _she's still just your friend_. Out loud, he said, "No problem."

She smiled her adorably toothy grin, then plopped down next to him on the couch. "So what now?"

He put an arm around her shoulder, a gesture normal to the two. "Well first we need to get you a bed and some clothes and stuff, and then I thought we could just hang out somewhere."

"Ok, sure."

Later, after tedious hours of shopping, Nick and Judy sat together on a park bench, watching the craziness that was Zootopia roll by. "Do you miss it?" Nick asked suddenly.

"What, my apartment?" the bunny asked. "It was awful!"

They both laughed, knowing it was true.

"So will you stay at mine?"

"We can at least give it a try."

Through the rest of the day, Judy noticed her friend being in an unusually cheerful mood.


	3. Chapter 3

That night, Judy slid into her new covers with a sigh. The first thing that caught her attention was that they smelled like—nothing. She missed Nick's soothing fox scent. Lonely, she hugged herself, breathing in the scent of the fox's shirt, which she was still wearing. _Nick_ , she thought affectionately. He'd been so kind to her today, even having a decent attitude when she needed to go clothes shopping. His behavior had almost felt… _more_ than friendly. Suddenly, in the back of her mind was born a suspicion. Did she… _like_ Nick? He was arrogant and sly and flirtatious—but he was also kind and caring and funny and—though she hated to admit it—handsome. _Oh no_ , she thought, blushing. _Now I'm in his apartment!_

The next day, officers Hopps and Wilde were back on the job. At the ZPD office, the two slid into their chair just as Chief Bogo slammed a stack of papers on his podium. Midway through his morningly 'I don't care' proclamation, he seemed to suddenly notice Nick and Judy's presence and noted, uninterested, "You're back."

"Sure am!" Judy replied cheerily. Nick rolled his eyes, though no one could tell because he wore his sunglasses even inside.

"There's been a store robbery," Bogo announced, addressing the two. "It was at the Preyda store in the downtown mall."

"We're on it!" Judy said as they darted out of the room.

The duo arrived at the store shortly. The place was almost deserted, save a petite zebra at the counter. Gazelle music—seriously, was she the only pop musician in all Zootopia?—played softly through the speakers.

"What happened?" Nick asked the zebra.

"There was an okapi, and he asked me to get out the necklace display to look at. When I did, he just ran off with it! I followed him as far as I could, but I lost him in the crowd."

"Can you tell us anything more about the okapi himself?" Judy asked.

The zebra nodded shakily. "He was tall, for an okapi. One of his legs had no stripes, and there was a scar near his tail."

"Thank you, ma'am," Judy replied. "And what's your name?"

"Stripeson. Gwen Stripeson."

Nick, ever impatient, asked, "Also, which way did he _go_?"

The zebra pointed left.

With the help of oh-so-convenient security cameras, Hopps and Wilde were on the okapi's tail within the hour. As they chased him down one of the roads leading out of town, Judy called the ZPD. "We're in pursuit of the Preyda thief!" she announced to a bored Chief Bogo.

"Have you got him in hoofcuffs?"

'Well, no, but—"

"Well hop to it, bunny!" Bogo replied, hanging up.

"What's the plan, Carrots?" Nick asked, not taking his eyes off the car ahead.

"When the road widens, cut in front of him. We'll surround him and you hoofcuff him."

"Got it."

A moment later, the car swerved forward, cutting off the okapi. Nick and Judy hopped out as the okapi lept out of his car.

"You're under arrest!" the officers announced in unison.

Appearing bored, the okapi held up his front hoofs to be cuffed.

As nick clamped the metal on the thief, a shot suddenly rang out. Glancing around, he saw Judy stumble with a muffled cry. Frantically, he contacted the ZPD. "We've got an officer down!" the fox cried.

Moments later, a police car came into view. Shoving away the captive okapi, Nick ran to his wounded friend.

"Judy!" he said, forgetting to call her by her nickname in his distress. The bunny was crumpled up in pain, holding her leg. Nick yanked a bandage from his pocket, trying to keep his paws steady as he wrapped it around Judy's leg. Her nose twitched, but she didn't cry out.

An officer ran up to the pair. "Officer Hopps, are you alright?"

"She needs to be taken to the hospital immediately!" the fox replied on her behalf. "She got shot in the leg, and it looks like she broke it when she fell."

Nick watched anxiously as Judy was rolled away on a stretcher at least three times her size. The officer, a rhino, asked Nick, "So the thief shot her?"

"No," he replied. 'the shot came from over there," he pointed to a ledge overhead, "but I didn't see anyone there…"

The rhino's brow furrowed. "That's odd."


	4. Chapter 4

Nick stayed with Judy at the hospital as long as they would allow, but at around midnight, a leopard nurse came into the room and said, "Officer Wilde, it's time for you to go. Your friend will be well taken care of."

He reluctantly followed the leopard out of the room.

The next morning, Nick slid wearily into his and Judy's chair at the ZPD. His thoughts on Judy, he barely noticed as Chief Bogo rattled off the day's assignments. When the fox looked up, he and Bogo were alone in the room. "Did you hear what I just said?" the chief asked.

The fox shook his head.

"A weasel—an acquaintance of yours, if I recall correctly—was arrested this morning. As they were taking him back here, he somehow found his way out of the car, injured both officers, and escaped." Slamming a thin stack of papers in front of the fox, Bogo sauntered out of the room. "Find him," he called over his shoulder.

Shoving the papers aside, Nick thought, _if I know this weasel, I know where to find him!_

Awhile later, Nick arrived in a wide, dilapidated alley. "I know you're here," he called, knowing the weasel would show himself.

"Ah, Wilde," came a nasal voice, "the traitor. Bet they don't know about your past at that beloved police station of yours, now do they?"

"They do," Nick replied calmly. "And they also know that the old fox is in the past."

"Or is he?" the weasel cackled.

The fox smirked. "Am I intimidated? No, no I'm not. Come on, buddy, you're under arrest."

"Whatever ya say, copper," the weasel replied. "But don't let your guard down just yet."

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Judy woke up groggily. She yawned, looking around her. At that moment, her leopard nurse walked in. "afternoon, Mis Hopps," she said with a lilting voice. "How are you?"

"Bored," Judy admitted. She despised being forced to stay still.

The leopard laughed. "Your friend Wilde called at _least_ ten times while you were asleep. You should call him back."

The door clicked shut, leaving Judy alone. _Ten times?_ She thought. _That's an awful lot._ She picked up the phone to dial her partner.

Nick picked up immediately. "Hey, Carrots!" he said, his voice displaying his obvious relief. "How are ya feeling?"

She smiled at the familiar voice. "Ready to get out of here."

"No way they patched you up _that_ fast," he replied, "Even with the new technology."

"Well, they did. You going to pick me up or not?"

Nick laughed into the phone and hung up. _Seriously?_ Judy thought indignantly. Shaking her head, she whispered, "and to think I might be falling for him!"

Not even thirty seconds later, a knock sounded on Judy's door; Nick opened it without permission. "You didn't really think I'd leave you stranded, did you?"

The bunny grinned against her will. "That was mean," she smiled into his shirt as she jumped up and hugged him.

"You bunnies. So emotional," Nick replied. It was a rather hypocritical comment, considering the tears in his eyes.

The next morning, Chief Bogo called Nick into his office prior to the group meeting. Not wanting to be separated from her, the fox grabbed his partner's arm and dragged her with him. Bogo eyed the pair wearily as he announced, "Our weasel friend had some interesting things to say yesterday."

Nick felt his cheeks grow hot as he sensed Judy's confused gaze on him. She wasn't going to stop trusting him _now_ , was she? "Such as...?" he asked, addressing Bogo.

"Well, for one, he says you've kept in contact with some of your old...friends."

"You mean Finnick?" the fox asked, suddenly amused.

"Yes. Is it true?"

Nick grinned. "It is. Don't worry, nothing too scandalous."

Gesturing to Nick's phone, Bogo asked, "May I?"

He handed it over willingly. After a few seconds and a smirk or two, the chief handed the phone back. "Oh, and one more thing," he said as they turned to leave. "He says you helped him escape."


	5. Chapter 5

Nick stood petrified. They wouldn't trust the weasel, would they? He knew how persuasive his old 'friend' could be, and if he could come up with a solid argument…there wasn't much the fox could do to retaliate.

Judy jumped forward indignantly. "That's ridiculous!" she cried, hopping onto a chair and crossing her arms. "You're not going to believe that weasel, are you?"

Nick sauntered to his partner's side. "Judy," he cautioned. "That won't help." He turned towards Bogo, sticking his paws in his uniform pockets. "I had no involvement in his escape."

"Can you prove that?"

"Do I need to?"

The chief almost smiled. "No, you don't. I just wanted to know what you'd have to say for yourself."

It was a boring day at work. Apparently Zootopia's criminals were taking a break.

Nick and Judy were cooped up in their office room filling out paperwork. Or, rather, Judy filled out paperwork. Nick sat on the couch, yawned, and threw paper airplanes. "Wilde! Make yourself useful!" the bunny exclaimed when a paper airplane landed on her desk, covering her paper.

"Yes, ma'am," Nick replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. "And what is it I should be doing?"

"You could start by doing your share of this paperwork," she replied, throwing a pen with bounced off his muzzle. The fox went to work with a sigh.

A few minutes later, Judy looked up from her paper suddenly. "Nick?" she asked slowly.

"What?"

"Why did that weasel want to cast blame on you?"

"Judy wanted to drag me down with him, probably. Not uncommon." Then, sitting up a little straighter, he asked, "Where are you going with this?"

"I was just thinking…when I got shot and all…what if they're trying to scare us? Off the ZPD?"

"I doubt it. Not every criminal's a mastermind, Carrots."

"Yeah, but…"

"Do you want me to do this paperwork, or not?"

The bunny rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stay mad long.

As Nick went back to his stack of papers, he began to wonder, what if she's right?

Clawhauser burst suddenly into the pair's office. "Chief Bogo wants you," he panted.

The two glanced at each other before racing out of the room.

They found Bogo in his office. "There's been a kidnapping," he announced.

"Any leads?" Judy asked as she was handed a near-empty file.

"We've got a plate number, but that's it."

"Ok, we're on it," the bunny called, zipping out of the room. Then, to Nick, she added, "And no camel jokes this time, ok?"

Several painful hours later, they had the information they needed.

As they jogged to the car, Nick suddenly stopped. "Carrots…?" he said. "I recognize this name."

Judy peered at the papers he held. "Bill Wooland," she read. "Who is he?"

"Remember that scout troop I, uh, wasn't in?"

Realization hit the bunny. "Oh, he was one of the, wasn't he?"

The fox shrugged. "Well, this should be fun."


	6. Chapter 6

"So," said the sheep, "It's you."

Nick glanced at Judy, who was looking at him with concern. "You ok?" she mouthed.

The fox didn't reply, but his eyes said _, I got this_. Turning to the sheep, he said, "Billy! How ya doin? Long time, no see, huh?"

"You're not funny," Bill deadpanned.

"Aww, that's not nice! Come on, what'd I _ever_ do to you?"

The sheep took a step forward. "Some of us don't like having a _fox_ on our police force, Wilde."

Two more sheep stepped up behind Bill.

"Uh, Nick?" Judy whispered, tense.

He couldn't reply; one of the sheep had gagged him. Bill ambled towards him slowly, saying, "You thing that fire was an accident?"

Judy gasped. Surely he wasn't talking about…

"Your precious bunny wasn't supposed to live. Unfortunately, she's a bit less helpless than she looks."

Nick squirmed as another sheep grabbed at Judy. She jumped away just in time, then ran back and kicked the sheep in the gut. He crumpled to the ground as Bill continued his monologue: "And, since our sniper apparently is an idiot, she survived _that_ , too."

"Why go after _me_ , if it's him you don't like?" Judy asked.

"You could ask your _fox_ ," the sheep said, lazily kicking Nick in the shin. "I'm sure _he_ knows _exactly_ why."

Nick stared at her helplessly.

An idea formed in Judy's mind. Her voice unwavering, she spoke to the sheep. "So, since you couldn't hurt me—"

"We had to take a more direct approach, yes. Our weasel couldn't come up with decent grounds for his accusation, but what does it matter? We have _Officer Wilde_ right here with us."

"Thank you, Bill," Judy said with a sudden smile. I find myself enlightened."

She glanced at Nick and nodded. Thankfully, he understood. With a twist, he freed himself from the sheep's grasp and kicked him away. Judy held up a pair of handcuffs and asked, "We ready to go? Oh, and where's the _otter_?"

That night, with Bill behind bars, Nick and Judy sat together on Nick's couch.

"So," prompted Judy, "that was an interesting day."

Nick laughed a little, his eyes droopy. "Sure was, Carrots."

The bunny leaned into his shoulder. "Do you know what he meant?"

Nick frowned. "What?"

"When the sheep said you'd know why he, uh, tried to kill me?"

"Oh." The fox turned away slightly.

"Nick—"

"It was to get at _me_." He paused. "He figured if something bad happened to _you_ , then I'd give up. Quit the ZPD." He untangled himself from her arms, standing up to walk away.

"But why—"

Nick spun around angrily. "Because he knows _I'm in love with you_ , ok?"

"You—what?"

He sat back down with a sigh. Turning to Judy, he whispered, "You _dumb_ bunny."

And then he kissed her.

Bill the sheep sat handcuffed facing a smug-looking Nick and Judy. "You can't prove anything," he bleated angrily. He would've growled, but, then again, he was a sheep. "It's your word against mine."

"Actually," replied Judy, holding her carrot-shaped pen," it's _your_ word against yours."

Nick grinned, sliding an arm around his bunny's waist.

"It's called a _hustle_ , sweetheart."


End file.
